I'm a first-time user of this site--I hope this is the right forum to post in.

I'm looking for contributors to a new monthly puzzle with the theme of "solving locally." I'm a contributor to the Independent Weekly, a hip weekly newspaper published in Durham, NC that serves the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill area (see it online at indyweek.com). I'm also a longtime NPL member and ACPT attender, and a few months ago I started thinking about how I could bring a fresh twist to our puzzle.

The Independent currently runs a fine syndicated weekly crossword. I've talked to my editor about adding an additional monthly puzzle that would incorporate some sort of local theme or angle. The theme could be about North Carolina in general, but best would be something more specific to our tri-city area (known locally as the Triangle). It could be about any of the three cities or surrounding areas; any or all of our three rival colleges (Duke, NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill); local sports teams (like the Carolina Hurricanes, Durham Bulls, or the Carolina Railhawks, a minor-league soccer team); local news, politics, or anything else Triangle- or North Carolina-related.

I would love to get Triangle- or NC-centric puzzles from anyone in the country. I would especially encourage constructors who live, or have lived, in this area or elsewhere in North Carolina; puzzles by local constructors wouldn't need local themes (though that would be a plus), as their residence would qualify as the "solve locally" angle. I might also include a very brief bio about each constructor; for local constructors especially, this would foster the idea of a local crossword community.

The Independent is rather a shoestring operation (I hold down other jobs to enable my reporting for them), and my editor says $40/puzzle (for a daily-size 15x15) is what they're able to afford. If you're interested in contributing to this new wrinkle in crossword publishing, or if you have any advice or questions, please comment below or contact me at marcmaximov@yahoo.com.